Magic Gloves
by Koigokoro-Love
Summary: Neil is complaining about not being able to fight and is getting increasingly bitter about his lack of a weapon. However, Odie and his friends have a surprise for him. Perhaps they weren’t as oblivious to his frustration as they put on... R


**A/N: **Just something randome I whiped up in ten or so minuts. Hasn't been beta'd because I'm lazy and I wouldn't have the nerve to post it if it was... also, I don't think any of the beta's I know know Class of the Titans well enough. It's not my best work, but it's good enough. Please leave a review, and if you want the funny bit at the end then ask for it and I might post it. It's only a few extra lines, but it is a cute end I don't feel like writing right now.

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**Magic Gloves**

They moved flawlessly, the gruelling hours of practice paying off. As one dived right the other would dive left, and still more would attack from center stage. They knew what the others were going to do before they did, and if they didn't then there was always extra guidance from the background. Soon the combine strength of the weapons took no time to over power the evil.

Bitterly, although hiding it with stupid comments, Neil sat at the edge. Sure, he could hear Odie's commands, and he too knew what the others were going to do just as quickly as everyone else, but it came from gruelling hours of sitting on the sidelines watching them, instead of practicing. He was fit, he had to be to keep up his reputation, and he never really _did_ enjoy practicing, but he resented having to watch all the time.

"Neil, are you just going to sit there! After all your begging to come with us, your not going to do anything?" Atlanta called as she fired at the enemy.

"Well _yeah!_ But no one's told me what to do!" His complaint went unheard, just like all of the others before it.

"Everyone, charge them with your weapons all at once," Jay said.

"I would, but I don't exactly have a weapon!" Neil shouted, still unheard. He did this all the time. How could they expect him to help if he didn't have anything to help with! It frustrated him to no end. And what angered him the most was that no one noticed that he was frustrated, which in turn made him even more frustrated and turning it into an endless cycle of frustration until it became so normal that no one _could_ notice.

After the battle the group basked in their victory.

"That was a really cool move Atlanta! I don't remember you doing it in practice," Archie was saying.

"Yeah, well,"

"Jay! Oh, I think that was a new record for you! Your highest jump yet!

"What? Oh, thanks Theresa, but I couldn't have done it without Herry's help. I would never go anywhere if he wasn't there to throw me into the air."

"Hey, it wasn't a throw, more of a toss, or gentle push."

"For you maybe. You weren't on the receiving end."

"Hey Neil, you seem quiet." Archie had taken pity on the sullen looking model, attempting to drag him into the conversation.

"Well, I didn't exactly do anything."

"Sure you did!" Atlanta said, hiding falseness in her voice.

"Yeah, if it wasn't for you cheering on the sidelines we wouldn't have done as well as we did." Neil knew that Theresa was trying to be nice, but he really wasn't in the mood for it and instead glared at her darkly.

"I didn't cheer. I just sat there." His voice was flat as he said this, fists clenching at his sides.

"Well, if you wanted to join in you could have when we all charged," Jay offered, trying to take the blame off the psychic.

"GAH!" Frustration built up over time finally bubbled out of Neil like a volcano. "Has no one noticed that I can't do anything because I don't have anything to do anything with?" he yelled.

Silence reined over the group as they stood on the sidewalk, all too socked to say anything in case it might set their friend off again. After a while, Odie's voice came over the headsets. "Guy's," he said causally, obviously feeling the mood even over the wireless connections. "I think it's time we show him."

Small smiles lit his friend's faces. They were obviously scheming something, and Neil didn't trust it.

"What? Show me what?" he asked.

"I think you need to see this." Atlanta said, coming up and pulling him the rest of the way down the street.

"Why, what is it?" Neil continued to ask.

"A surprise. A gift I guess," Jay told him, but that was all he could get out of any of them.

Once back at Olympus the hero's sat Neil down on one of the white couches, one hand on his shoulder to keep him seated. He was so exited he was bouncing up and down with anticipation, his outburst forgotten.

"What is it guys? Come on, you can tell me. Hera, what's going on, they won't tell me!" he whined.

Hera, who usually disapproved of whining, smiled gently and said "Well, that's because they were all told not to tell you. Now, Neil, I must ask; do you remember your fight with Hecate on Halloween?"

"Uh … no," he answered honestly. Everyone glared at him, so he thought harder. "Oh! Yeah! And Atlanta made that lame joke about my chance in the movies. That really wasn't a funny joke by the way."

"Do you remember those torches you held, and how you said that you felt like you had found your weapon," Hera continued.

Again, Neil said no, but when he thought about it harder, he was forced to nod.

"Good. Now Odie, take it from here."

"Alright." Odie said from the door. He and Hermes were standing with a box between them, bringing it down to sit at Neil's feet. Everyone was grinning at him affectionately. "I'll try not to get to technical here –"

"At least he's learning," Herry muttered to Jay behind him.

"—but basically I tried to make a replica of the power in those torches so that you could use it. You obviously had a talent with them, and I thought that maybe it would come in handy later on. Its taken a long time, and we were going to give them to you on your birthday because I only just finished testing them, but Hera, Hermes, and I all think that you should have them now."

"What are they?" Neil asked.

Odie reached down and pulled open the top of the chest. "These," he said dramatically.

A bright smile on his face, Neil reached in and withdrew… a pair of black gloves. Looking up at Odie confused he thanked him, saying "I can't believe you took all this time to sew these for me instead of just going to a shop and buying them!"

Everyone chuckled, and Odie shook his head exasperatedly. "They aren't just gloves Neil. They have power in them, similar to the torches. They are your new weapon."

"I don't see how a bit of fabric is going to – wait, new _weapon_?" Nodes passed around him. "As in, I can fight now?" More nodding, and then Neil gave a large whoop of joy, pulling the black gloves on carefully. Stretching his right hand out he opened his mouth then said, "Um… how do I use them."

The room clasped into a fit of laughter.

"With practice," Theresa said.

"Awww, you mean I actually have to _practice?_ What sort of gift is that?"

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End file.
